Another Feudal Fairy Tale
by Nekoyoukaiaila
Summary: AU, Kagome Higurashi worked beside her sister to protect her village. When Kikyo dies and Kagome unseals Inuyasha, she has no idea how many other things are about to change.
1. Prologue: Plotting and Purifying

_Another_ Feudal Fairy Tale!

Prologue: Plotting and Purifying

AN: NYA here, and welcome to my newest fic, _Another_ Feudal Fairy Tale! I've been working on the bunnies for this FOREVER, and I'm so glad I can finally start posting it!

Inu: This means I'll be stuck here again…

Sheen: Don't worry, my canine companion! You're not alone!

Hotohori: Unfortunately…

Miroku: Well personally, I can't say I mind! There are so many beautiful women here…

Iluvmitsukake: Houshi-sama! What did we say about making comments on a woman's appearance? OFF WITH YOUR ARSE!

Hotohori: Though we are beautiful, we are a man!

Me: (')…so who wants to do the first disclaimer?

Ayame: Ooh! Me! Pick me! Pick me!

Me: Ok! Aaya, you get to do the first one!

Ayame: (Ahem!) Da mighty Nekoyoukaiaila, ruler of all everything insane and demented, does not own any of the characters she is currently using whilst writing any fics whatsoever. She merely exploits their extremely funny quirks and/or personalities to entertain people she's never met or heard of, and to appease her ever sugar-high muse. That sounded scripted, didn't it?

Me: Well duh! It was!

Superbobbyjackelope: (Cracks whip) Now get on with writing my masterpiece!

Me: Yes sir! I am but a slave to my muse…

* * *

"Kikyo! Thank you so much; I don't know how our village would survive without you and your sister! That centipede demon would have completely destroyed my home had you not purified it!" said a village woman. Kikyo sighed happily. Being a resident priestess was hard work, but the safety of the village was worth it.

She looked up at the crowd of people working on repairing a house that had been partly caved in during the attack. "It's really no trouble. Slaying demons that threaten our friends' homes is a pleasure." She smiled at the group, and continued surveying the damage done to the town.

* * *

Mistress Centipede had assailed the village while Kikyo was tending to her herb patch with her sister, damaging five houses and eating three horses. She had then targeted a small boy quaking with fear at her ghastly form, hunched over the carcass of what was once his mare.

She grinned evilly, eyeing the next course of her meal. Horses tasted delicious, but nothing was better that a human child. "What's wrong, boy? Never seen a demon before? Well you won't ever again! The last thing you'll ever see is the inside of my stomach!" Lunging in for the kill, she was thrown to the ground by an explosion of light, landing mere inches from her marked prey.

"Not if we have anything to do with it!" came the growl of two very pissed off priestesses behind her. Twisting around, she could see her lower half twitching on the ground a few feet away, having been completely blown off by the purifying energy of two sacred arrows.

"Geez, can't these demons lay off for one day?" said one girl, glaring at the prone insect on the ground in front of her.

"I suppose not. After all, ours is a small village with more animals than men, and it's protectors being "merely two human women", right? Well these two human women just sliced you in half! Prepare to die, demon scum!" The spitting image of the girl next to her shouted. Drawing back their arrows, the priestesses let loose identical battle cries as they purified the fiend into oblivion.

* * *

Afterward, Kagome had left to help some village men drag the remains to the Bone Eater's well while Kikyo oversaw the repairs to the buildings. They had investigated the well many times, and concluded that it was not evil that controlled it. It got rid of the village's need for a demon gravesite, and they were grateful for it. No beast that would attack humans deserved a respectable resting place.

* * *

Ashadow watched Kikyo help a woman with a wooden support beam, admiring the woman who continually foiled his plans. None of the demons he summoned were powerful enough to oust her and her sister together. If he could catch one by herself, then he was sure she wouldn't stand a chance. One girl had to die for his plan to succeed, and he didn't care which one. They were twins, and the only way to tell them apart was their hair. Kagome kept hers loose, while Kikyo tied hers back in the traditional priestess fashion. Though they were alike in few ways other than their appearances, the sisters were very close. If one of them were to die, it would leave the other devastated and vulnerable. Wide open for an attack, his plans would be put in motion… Now all he needed was for one girl to leave the village by herself. She would not return alive.

* * *

A sharp sound separated itself from the other noises mingling in the air, and reached the ears of two people digging a trench near the woods on the outskirts of the village. The boy and priestess looked up, expecting to see a bird or rabbit. Nothing.

"Um… Lady Kikyo? What was that?" the timid boy inquired. He was still shaken from the events earlier that afternoon.

She stared intently into the woods. Something was out of place. She had been uneasy since the demon had shown up earlier. It felt like there was some other presence watching the battle, and had yet to leave the area. There was probably another demon pulling the strings behind the attacks every day, and they had been getting worse. Her father had sent for a demon exterminator a few days earlier to help with the infestation because the sisters were being worn down with the constant fighting and repairing of the village. "I'm not sure…" She said slowly. "But I'm going to find out. I'll be back soon. Tell my sister that I went to investigate when she gets back."

"Yes ma'am! I will!"

Kikyo smiled, "Okay." and walked into the forest.

* * *

After a few minutes of following the sense of another's presence, she came upon a large clearing with a giant tree in the center.

Studying the area, she noticed another path leading into the clearing. Closing her eyes, she searched for the energy of a demon. It was right behind her! Opening her eyes, she felt something slice through her shoulder. Collapsing on the ground, she cried out in pain as her assaulter fled the area. For about ten minutes she lay there, trying to withstand the agony ripping through her body.

"What the...?" She had not expected to hear someone else's voice, but when she looked up, there he was. The one who attacked her was standing there with wide eyes and an open mouth. He was standing right in front of the giant tree…

Summoning her very last reserves of strength, will, and power, she stood up and drew her bow, letting fly in the same motion. The flash of purifying energy lit the clearing as the boy was pinned to the tree with a small "Oomph!", falling asleep immediately. No one but her sister would be able to undo the seal once she died… And she surely would. Her last mission was to get back to the village and tell her sister what had happened.

* * *

Me: Muahaha! First chapter and Kikyo's already dead.

Kikyo: You must really hate me.

Me: Oh but I do! I'm a badge wearing member of the Kikyo hater's club . In this fic, she will have no influence in the love lives of my favorite characters. If only she would die for real…. Sigh.

If you hate Kikyo, review! If not…. Review anyway!


	2. Chapter 1: A Parting and a Meeting

_Another _Feudal Fairy Tale

Chapter One: A Parting and a Meeting

AN: Only two people have reviewed so far…. Doesn't anybody love me? Is there anyone who cares for Sid the Sloth? I mean NYA? Oh boy, quoting kid's movies again…. Muahahaha. Anywhoodles, enjoy chapter one.

* * *

Kikyo hadn't returned yet… But Kagome was sure she would. _My sister can handle herself. She is a perfectly capable priestess… She just ran into a patch of the herbs we were looking for. _She chewed her lip as she got ready for bed. _Yeah, that's it. _A sudden chill went down her spine, and she stood up straighter. _What was that? I've got a bad feeling… _She shook her head. _No, it must have been a draft. _She got into bed, tucking the covers around her chin_. I'm sure Sis will be back soon.

* * *

_

When morning came and Kikyo was still missing, her doubts resurfaced. What if she wasn't okay? If a demon had ambushed her while she was by herself… All alone… With no one there… She shook her head._ Okay Kagome. Gotta keep it together…_ _I'm sure she's fine… _She looked up at the sky, praying silently for Kikyo to be safe.

A voice shook her out of her reverie. "Kagome!" It was Kaede, another priestess. She rushed up, placing her trembling hands on her shoulders. "They found your sister!"

A relieved gasp wormed its way out of Kagome's mouth. She was okay! "Take me to her! How is she!" She kept asking questions as they walked into the village square, not giving the woman enough time to answer.

The older woman hesitated. Should she enlighten this girl about her sister's death? Could Kagome handle it? Well, there was only one way to find out. "Kagome…" she said, still hesitant. "Kikyo… Is dead. They found her on the outskirts of the village."

Kagome stopped abruptly, her face turned white. She looked at her sharply, her tone scarily calm. "Where is she?"

_It might be better if she didn't see… "_Kagome, don't-"

"Take me to her! NOW!" Face set, deep blue eyes pleading silently. She looked desperate. The Kaede's eyes strayed over to where the crowd was gathering, wanting to see for themselves if their protectress was truly dead. Kagome followed her stare, and her eyes locked on to the group.

Walking unsteadily over, she stopped at the edge of the cluster of people. As if they sensed her presence, the crowd parted, allowing her a full view of her sister. Kikyo was face down in the reddish dirt, arms over her head. Her left shoulder was sliced up; five long claw marks extended from her neck and around her back. The remnants of her quiver clung uselessly to her back. Kagome fell to her knees with wide eyes, refusing to believe that her partner, her _sister_, had been killed and was lying there in front of her. Yesterday she was fine! They had worked together to bring down the centipede…

The centipede! Had it survived? No… The claw marks were from something with an almost human hand. Moving closer, she traced the claw marks with a shaky hand. The more she knew about the killer, the easier it would be to bring down. She looked deeper into the forest, and let her eyes find the final path her sister had walked down. A trail of red marked it, a long stain of her sister's lifeblood. With great difficulty she brought the boiling heat of her rage down to a slow simmer, she decided the killer could wait long enough for her to give her sister a proper burial.

"Ka-" she coughed and cleared her throat. Her voice came out a mere whisper. "Kaede."

The Elder moved to her side, surveying the ashen-faced girl next to her. "Yes, child?"

"I want you to help me..." Her voice wavered, and Kaede could see she was having a hard time holding back the tears.

She nodded. "Say no more."

* * *

_Kikyo must have known she wouldn't make it to the village, _Kagome thought. The trail she left was clearly marked; branches had been broken along the path, little marks that guided Kagome through the forest. She was still trembling, but was much steadier now that she had a goal in mind: Find it and kill it. 

The trail of broken branches cut off the main path; marked by a furrow in the grass. She followed it for a minute, then gasped as she entered a clearing. A gigantic tree grew in the center, so tall it dwarfed any other trees in the forest. But that wasn't what shocked her. A boy was pinned to the tree, halfway up. His hair shone unnaturally silver in the dappled sunlight, and two triangular ears perched atop his head. As she stared, she took in the puddle of blood that was the end of the trail, and an arrow that was unmistakably her sister's sealing the part-demon to the tree.

* * *

.….I ain't sayin' nuthin. 

Hatori: Too late.


End file.
